Sporting Scene
BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross By Hal Ridge Organiser: MDA/BTRDA When: August 10-11 Where: Pembrey, South Wales Starters: 45
Junior racer and reigning BTRDA Gold Star Rallycross champion Luke Constantine delivered a blow to his overall title rivals in the Clubman series’ second doubleheader weekend of the season at Pembrey in South Wales as he racked up another pair of wins.
Such has been the 15-yearold’s form in the series since the start of 2018 that his triumph in round six on Sunday, ahead of Ben Sayer for the second day in a row, was his 15th straight Clubmans Junior A final win.
Having missed the seasonopener at Blyton due to a clash with the British Championship’s first round at Silverstone, Constantine’s Welsh success promoted him back into real contention for the overall honours.
His main rival, Production category racer Dale Ford, had a difficult weekend. Beaten in the Production A final on Saturday by Dom Booth and Nathan Jones, the pair both running in the up-to-two-litre sub category of the Production class. Ford then failed to start the A final in round six on Sunday due to a pre-grid fuel pump problem.
Booth, meanwhile, took a second win of the weekend, this time ahead of Rory Dening’s Peugeot 106. Dening had a close fight with Jones and Trevor Beavan for the runner-up spot. Lee Keeler rolled his Citroen Saxo in Q1, but with the collective work of teams in a paddock, he returned to win the B final and finish sixth in the A final.
Meanwhile, behind Constantine and Sayer in the Junior finals, Alfie Jenkins drove his Nissan Micra to a podium in round five, before pole starter James Constantine took third in round six.
In Super Modified, Alan Crockett qualified his rearwheel-drive Vauxhall Corsa on pole for the A final on Saturday despite a coming together with Irishman Patrick Ryan in a qualifying race, but it was fellow front-row starter Ryan who took the lead at the start of the final and was never headed. He was followed home by Crockett and the similar car of Allan Tapscott. Ryan then qualified on pole on Sunday, but fuel issues meant the best he could manage was fourth, while Crockett claimed victory ahead of
Sam Bovill and Todd Crooks, the latter driver racing a Production-specification Citroen C2 instead of his regular Mini.
Toyota MR2 racer Marc Jones spun out of the Classic final lead on Saturday, which dropped him to third behind winner Vincent Bristow and Michael Grant, but Jones was faultless on his run to victory on Sunday with
Grant again second and
David Martin third.
James Phillips dominated the Production 4x4 class on day one, before fellow Subaru Impreza racer Paul Davis returned for day two and claimed victory.
Results
Round 5
Junior: 1 Luke Constantine (Suzuki Swift); 2 Ben Sayer (Suzuki Swift) +0.816s; 3 Alfie Jenkins (Nissan Micra); 4 James Constantine (Suzuki Swift); 4 Abbie Mcguinness (Volkswagen Lupo); 6 Charlie Titcombe (Suzuki Swift).
Production: 1 Dom Booth (Renault Clio); 2 Nathan Jones (Honda Civic) +3.566s; 3 Dale Ford (Citroen Saxo); 4 Graham Aspinall (Renault Clio); 5 Rory Dening (Peugeot 106); 6 Trevor Beavan (Citroen Saxo).
Super Modified: 1 Patrick Ryan (Vauxhall Nova); 2 Alan Crockett (Vauxhall Corsa) +5.550s; 3 Allan Tapscott (Vauxhall Corsa); 4 Leigh-anne Sedgwick (BMW Mini); 5 Gary Cook (Ford Fiesta); 6 Sam Bovill (Vauxhall Astra).
Classic: 1 Vincent Bristow (BMW 318); 2 Michael Grant (Ford Fiesta) +1.848s; 3 Marc Jones (Toyota MR2); 4 David Martin (Peugeot 205); 5 David Ewin (Ford Fiesta).
Production 4x4: 1 James Phillips (Subaru Impreza) 5m11.944s; 2 Christopher Baker
(Subaru Impreza); no other finishers.
Round 6
Junior: 1 L Constantine; 2 Sayer +0.686s;
3 J Constantine; 4 Jenkins; 5 Titcombe;
6 Amy Baines (Vauxhall Corsa).
Production: 1 Booth; 2 Dening +4.190s; 3 Jones; 4 Beavan; 5 Jouzas Meskauskas (Citroen C2);
6 Lee Keeler (Citroen Saxo).
Super Modified: 1 Crockett; 2 Bovill +6.220s; 3 Todd Crooks (Citroen C2); 4 Ryan; 5 Michelle Swallow (Porsche Boxster); 6 Sedgwick.
Classic: 1 Jones; 2 Grant +0.399s; 3 Martin; 4 Ewin.
Production 4x4: 1 Paul Davis (Subaru Impreza) 5m49.270s; 2 Phillips +0.475s; 3 Baker.